Confed Cup: 6 out of 10

From Ray Hartley (The Times)

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Stop Sensationalising Crime - Jordaan - Yes, that's the problem right there. It's not the 50+ murders and umpteen other crimes daily that's a problem, it's the media's fault for "sensationalising crime". Let's hope Jordaan hisself does not become a victim of crime. We wouldn't want the media to expend effort "sensationalising" his misfortune. Darn those crime victims. Tsk.

‘Stop lying about crime in SA’ - Mbalula, Deputy minister of police

The Fifa bigwigs have put their heads together and given South Africa an “eight out of ten” for the hosting of the Confederations Cup.

Peel away the spin and that probably translates into a six out of ten, which is not flattering.

South Africa’s soccer mad public have shown up in their tens of thousands for games and they have blasted the vuvuzela into the world football stage with ear-splitting enthusiasm.

But there have been problems and they should faced squarely and dealt with.

There have been many complaints about transport — especially from games back to the parking spots for park-and-ride facilities. More than one fan has had their evening ruined by hours of waiting while aggressive crowds rock buses and break queues.

The food provided in stadiums has been universally panned for being badly prepared, cold and hellishly expensive.

And there have been unfortunate incidents of crime which have affected players and members of the foreign press covering games.

The good news is that all of these problems are surmountable.

But we must face them head on and not make excuses. It is not good enough to shrug shoulders and say that crime happens “all over the world”. The fact is that South Africa has a bad reputation for crime which the 2010 World Cup could reinforce with a few high profile incidents.

We must protect and guard teams, officials and the visiting media with as many resources as it takes to keep them safe.

Food should be opened up to competition to allow fans to enjoy their experience in the stadiums.

By June next year, we must be ready to score no less than ten out of ten.